Music

June 9, 2001|The Dallas Morning News

Solas an ChroM-m:

Light of the Heart

Solas

OCP, 48 minutes

A collection of 14 Celtic-tinged instrumental pieces, recorded in Belfast. The music is inspired by spiritual themes brought to life by 12 artists drawing on a wide variety of Celtic styles. Their artistry is superb, whether on the slow, haunting tunes or the ones bursting with excitement.

Young Patrick is a soothing guitar piece on St. Patrick that gently floats to a rumbling end. John Robinson's Solstice, which celebrates death and resurrection, will remind you of Jim Brickman. Maebh McKeon offers a striking violin solo in The Dreamer of Dreams that's equally sobering and breathtaking.

The fast-paced opener, Solas An Paiste, captures a more traditional Celtic sound and is a true ear pleaser. The final song, Solas an ChroM-m, which is a mishmash of traditional rhythms and contemporary experimentation, is nearly as exciting.

This CD surprises every step of the way, and with an artistic flair that's hard to match.

No Place So Far

Erin O'Donnell

Myrrh, 41 minutes

She has a brand new record label and a brand new sound. But it seems that Erin O'Donnell has traded her innocence for that polished -- almost canned -- Christian music sound you hear with Avalon and Point of Grace.

Fortunately, she has a saving grace. Her song selection is better than before, and so are her vocals. Even if you know better, you'll soon find yourself mesmerized by her formulaic pop.

No Place So Far is the anchor, nearly five minutes of Jewel-like melodrama that ends on a hopeful note. Janie's Garden is an upbeat, acoustic showcase with edgy vocal overtones. On There You Are, O'Donnell could easily be mistaken for Rebecca St. James, who also favors fast-paced verses and big-voiced choruses.

Most of the songs on this CD are pleasing, though so similar to other artists that O'Donnell could get lost in the crowd. Her voice is pleasant and her material is decent, but she's still grappling to find a niche of her own.

Now

Greg Long

Myrrh, 42 minutes

Greg Long cut his path in music long ago as part of the music team for evangelist Lowell Lundstrom's traveling ministry. After breaking into Christian music, he was a finalist for new artist of the year.

His vocals are a clear, gorgeous tenor. He often wraps them around overly simplistic salvation tracks, such as Days of Grace and Mercy Said No.

On this album, his third project, Long never strays far from his basic "Jesus saves" message.

Sufficiency of Grace is crowd-pleasing pop that's already soared on the charts. The piano ballad In the Waiting is an emotional rollercoaster that beckons for a "peace beyond understanding."

Likewise, The Face of Love relies on big choruses to proclaim a word about heaven.

No doubt that Long has talent. But too often he settles for soothing sure-fire hits that play on religious sentiment but offer little substance.

It's sound-bite theology that quickly wears thin.

Books

Shattered Dreams: God's Unexpected Path to Joy

Larry Crabb

Waterbrook Press, 218 pp., $19.95

Once again, popular evangelical author Larry Crabb takes on an unpopular subject -- suffering in this case -- and wrestles with it alongside his readers.

Shattered Dreams finds parallels between today's injustices and the biblical story of Naomi, who lost a husband and both her sons.

Crabb's premise: Christian believers often focus on "second things," such as feeling good, while God works on first things -- an intimate relationship with him.

The author says that tragedies in the form of shattered dreams often function as the conduit for such a relationship.

"Without trials, only spoiled brats would enter heaven," he writes. "And that would turn heaven into hell."

The book concludes with hope: A Christian's deepest desires can be found in a life from, with and for God.

The release of this book and Dwight Edwards' Revolution Within mark the launch of Crabb's New Way Ministries.